Malaysian police yesterday said that they would summon reporters of news broadcaster al-Jazeera for questioning over a documentary on the country’s arrests of undocumented migrants, which authorities have accused of being an attempt to tarnish Malaysia’s image.
“Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown,” produced by al-Jazeera’s 101 East news program, focused on the plight of thousands of undocumented migrants detained during raids carried out in areas under tight COVID-19 lockdowns.
The documentary, which aired last week, sparked an immediate backlash online, while several officials decried the report as being inaccurate, misleading and unfair.
The backlash comes amid concerns over crackdowns on press freedoms under Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government, which came into power in March, as well as rising anger toward foreigners and refugees, who have been accused of spreading the coronavirus and burdening state resources.
Malaysian Minister of Defense Ismail Sabri Yaakob this week called on al-Jazeera to apologize to Malaysians, saying that allegations of racism and discrimination against undocumented migrants were untrue.
Authorities had previously defended the arrests as necessary to uphold the law and stem the spread of the pandemic.
Police are to call in al-Jazeera staff members as part of a probe opened after several complaints filed against the documentary, Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador told reporters yesterday.
“It is the police’s responsibility to investigate to see if there are any elements of sedition or wrongdoing,” he said, according to a video of his comments posted by the Malaysia Gazette news portal.
Spokespeople for al-Jazeera did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
Separately yesterday, the Malaysian Immigration Department issued a search notice for a Bangladeshi national whose name, details and photographs match those of a migrant worker interviewed in the documentary.
The probe is the latest clampdown against reporters and advocates that rights groups have said are aimed at stifling dissent.
In May, a journalist from the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post was questioned by police over her reporting on the migrant arrests.
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